Outcomes of the 20th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2016: Capitalizing on the New Global Economic Reality

SPIEF's official business programme comprised over 100 sessions (PRNewsFoto/Roscongress Foundation)

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

On June 16-18, the 20th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was held, bringing together more than 12,000 participants from 133 countries, including media representatives and business and government delegations. On June 16, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, and Chairman of the SPIEF Organizing Committee Sergei Prikhodko gave a welcome address at the official opening of the Forum. Heads of states, government officials, and executives from leading international companies and organizations gathered in St. Petersburg for one of the key global business events of the year.

Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee Anton Kobyakov highlighted the Forum's significance. "One of the key achievements of this year's Forum is that it has once again confirmed its reputation as one of the largest, most reputable, and indispensable global platforms for direct and frank discussion between representatives of the state, the business community, academia, and experts from all over the world on the current challenges facing the global economy and financial sector. The number of Forum participants continues to grow year after year, which is another testament to Russia's enduring role as an important global business and finance hub. We highly value the interest and, more importantly, the trust of Forum partners, guests, and participants."

The SPIEF programme was unrivalled in terms of scale and the number of themes covered, featuring more than 300sessions, briefings, press announcements and roundtables.

The programme of the Forum was built around five thematic pillars:

Sustaining Economic Expansion

Realizing the Economic Potential of Russia

New Geo-Economic Dynamics

Navigating Revolutions in Technology

The Human Dimension

More than 600 speakers and moderators participated in discussions and debates at the Forum. This year, the Forum was attended by more than 600 heads of Russian companies and approximately 300 foreign executives

SPIEF also recorded a high level of media interest: 2,651 media representatives (2,156 from Russia and 495 from abroad) from 700 organizations (542 Russian and 158 foreign) registered for the Forum. Applications to attend were received from 47 countries (in addition to Russia).